Abstract
A central question in the psychopharmacology of depression is whether tricyclic antidepressants increase or reduce monoaminergic neurotransmission. In the case of norepinephrine uptake inhibitors such as desipramine, the chronic effects of down-regulation at α2-autoreceptors and up-regulation at postsynaptic (α1-adrenoceptors increase noradrenergic neurotransmission. However, the down-regulation of postsynaptic (β1-adrenoceptors reduce noradrenergic neurotransmission, and it is not known if the net effect of chronic desipramine treatment is to increase noradrenergic neurotransmission in man.1
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© 1989 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
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Checkley, S.A. (1989). Neuroendocrine Studies of the Mechanism of Action of Antidepressant Drugs. In: Lerer, B., Gershon, S. (eds) New Directions in Affective Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3524-8_62
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3524-8_62
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